The latest figures show that the average global employee confidence index score is 98.9. The highest levels of employee confidence were found in Brazil (107.2), China (102.3), France (101.4) and Russia (100.9), while Italy (97.8), Spain (96.0) and Japan (93.8) had the lowest levels. The UK's employee confidence index score is 99.0.

China improved the most since the first quarter of 2009 (up 12.5 percent).

"Employee confidence influences individual behaviour and has implications for organisational performance and economic conditions," said Jeffrey Saltzman, principal at Kenexa. "In the second quarter of 2009, employees from all of the studied countries reported an increase in employee confidence scores, becoming more positive, with the exception of Japan. The UK showed a relatively modest gain. Many UK employees are still worried about their current financial situation but a growing number now believe that their economic well-being will improve over the next six months."

A high level of employee confidence is achieved when employees perceive their organisation as being effectively managed and competitively positioned - and also that they have a promising future with their organisation as well as job security and skills that are attractive to other employers.

Kenexa has been monitoring employee confidence since June 2008.

The resultant data is available by country, industry, gender, age and job type.

For more information, please call Kenexa on 020 8585 2345 or visit www.kenexa.com

Editor's notes - The sample includes 5,000 workers from the United States, 500 workers in Russia and 1,000 workers in each of Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Spain, and the UK. The sample covers a cross section of the workforce in organisations of different sizes, across multiple industries.

Kenexa helps global organisations to multiply business success by identifying the best individuals for every job and fostering optimal work environments for every organisation. For more than 20 years, Kenexa has studied human behaviour and team dynamics in the workplace, and has developed the software solutions, business processes and expert consulting that help organisations impact positive business outcomes through HR. Kenexa is the only company that offers a comprehensive suite of unified products and services that support the entire employee lifecycle from pre-hire to exit.

Journalists who want further details about Kenexa should call Amanda Dawson on 020 8953 8863 or e-mail amanda@daws.com